Last of TWA attendants recalled 11 years later

Last of TWA attendants recalled 11 years later

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Nearly 11 years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, more than 200 former Trans World Airlines flight attendants are getting their jobs back.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, a Democrat from Missouri, said Thursday she brokered the deal with American Airlines to bring back the 211 TWA flight attendants effective Nov. 17.

The terrorist attacks happened just months after American Airlines purchased St. Louis-based TWA. Because TWA workers went to the bottom of the seniority list, they were the first to be cut after the airline industry slowdown that resulted from the attacks. All told, American cut 2,500 attendants in the months after the attacks.

American Airlines is in bankruptcy protection and has offered buyouts to hundreds of attendants. A spokesman says the recall will ensure adequate staffing through that process